A tsunami warning has been issued in southern Japan after a powerful 7.5-magnitude earthquake struck near Taiwan just minutes ago.
Videos posted on social media and television in Taiwan show collapsing buildings in the eastern city of Hualien. Japanese media reports that the 7.5-magnitude earthquake could trigger 3m-high waves in some areas 1000 miles south of Tokyo in the Okinawa prefecture.
NHK urged people not to go near the coasts and to get to higher areas, with warnings on broadcasts in both English and Japanese. NHK had an initial tsunami of around 30nm hit the shores of Yonaguni, a remote island around 110km from Taiwan, warning bigger tsunamis could follow.
The Japanese Meteorological Agency forecasts tsunamis of up to 3m after the shallow 7.5-magnitude earthquake hit, taking just 30 minutes for the first waves of the tsunami to hit. Taiwan’s earthquake monitoring agency gave the magnitude as 7.2, while the US Geological Survey claimed it was a 7.5-magnitude earthquake.
NHK posted on X with tsunami warnings for the following regions: Okinawa Main Island Region, Miyajokima Region, and the Yaeyama Region. NHK says to EVACUATE immediately to a “safer place such as high ground or in an evacuation building”.
There have been videos posted on social media showing Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, with the Taipei 101 building in the background with the force of the earthquake being felt through the video. The earthquake struck at before 9AM, which is when everyone is going to work, school, and getting their days started.
This story is continuing, we’ll update as it happens.